In what would be locker room bulletin board material in the NFL, embattled Governor John Hickenlooper made jokes about Republican candidates inching up on him in the polls for the 2014 race for governor.

On Friday, the Washington Post reported on his sarcastic comments that the race wasn’t really fair when he enjoyed a strong lead in the polls. Here’s what he said:

“The approval ratings were so high — it really didn’t seem even fair. So, we made a few strategic decisions to try to move ourselves back into play, forcing us to be on our game, a little more focused.”

The “few strategic decisions” were actually disastrous political calculations to come down on the wrong side of unpopular gun control, spending, and anti-growth policies in the state legislature. He then capped this off with the inconceivable decision to grant an indefinite stay of execution to one of the state’s most notorious mass murderers.

Thanks to Hickenlooper’s “strategic decisions,” Coloradans are starting to see through the thin veneer of an “aw shucks” styled governor who just likes to parachute and drink craft beer. We can no longer afford his jokes, flawed judgement, and spendthrift ways in this state. And, we don’t think he will be so jovial as the votes are being counted next November.

The fact that the Nathan Dunlap death penalty decision (or better phrased as a lack of a decision) has undermined our criminal justice jury system and has re-victimized the entire community that has been looking for closure since a mass murderer killed several people in cold blood is now viewed by the Governor as a joke is just one more sign that he "doesn't get it".